US movies expose youth to billions of smok...( U.S. movie stars according to the seco...),Health

U.S. movie stars, according to the second study co-authored by Dr. Sargent and published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The study, "Exposure to Smoking in Popular Contemporary Movies and Youth Smoking in Germany," tested whether teens in a society where tobacco advertising is still prevalent, and where smoking is still socially acceptable, are influenced by smoking in movies.

After controlling for demographic, media, and psychosocial factors, investigators found that teens who had seen the most smoking in films (mostly U.S. blockbusters) were nearly twice as likely to have tried smoking than those who saw the least amountresults that mirror previous U.S. findings. "Viewing smoking in globally distributed movies is a risk factor for smoking in European adolescents," says Reiner Hanewinkel, PhD, Institute for Therapy and Health Research, principal investigator in the German study. "Limiting exposure to movie smoking could have important worldwide public health implications."

Internationally distributed movies, the majority of which are produced and distributed by Hollywood studios, comprise over 80% of the German film market, and 80 to 90% of these movies contain smoking. The school-based, cross sectional study of 5586 German adolescents assessed exposure to 398 internationally distributed popular movies, 98% of which were produced and distributed by U.S. studios. Exposure to smoking in these movies was associated with trying smoking and current smoking among the adolescents, with high exposure adolescents being 1.8 times more likely to have tried smoking and 1.7 times more likely to be a current smoker.

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Contact: Rebecca Bailey
rebecca.a.bailey@dartmouth.edu
603-646-2117
Dartmouth College
7-May-2007

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